Saturday, April 14, 2012

Granny's Meatloaf

My Granny Ceretha tought me how to make this meatloaf. When I was young, Granny would come to stay with my sister Lisa and I when Dad needed to travel for business. The first dinner she made each visit was meatloaf, mashed potatoes and fried squash. My favorite!!! The next day she would make a meatloaf sandwich for my lunch. It was widely known at Roswell High School that a meatloaf sandwich in my lunch meant that Granny had arrived! Omar loves this meatloaf. He asks for it at least once a month, sometimes twice. I always send him to work the next day with a meatloaf sandwich, just like Granny used to make. BTW, a meatloaf sandwich is whole wheat sandwich bread, meatloaf and cheddar cheese. No condiments needed.

Tear up bread and place in a bowl. Pour milk over bread and let sit a few minutes to saturate the bread. Add the other ingredients and mix until well combined. Do not overwork the meat.

Place mixture in a loaf pan, spread extra ketsup on the top and bake for 1 hour.

*This recipe can be doubled but will be too big for the loaf pan. In this case, shape into a loaf and bake on a cookie sheet. Increase the time by 15-30 minutes depending on thickness of your loaf. A meat thermometer should read 180 degrees when meat is cooked through. I always line my cookie sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up.

***Any kind of bread works fine. You can also use 1/2 cup store bought bread crumbs or stuffing mix. Flavored croutons make a tasty meatloaf too, but make sure to soak them in the milk long enough to soften them. You also may need to add a little extra milk if you use croutons. The soaked bread is what keeps the meatloaf moist so make sure whatever you use is saturated! Don't add any herbs or cheese if you use the croutons or your meatloaf will be SUPER rich. You will need to go lighter on the salt also.